Hi!

I have learnt a lot by reading plenty of threads here, and I'm trying to combine what I read and choose the approach I find logical and then get on with it (I find myself using too much time reading about how to learn Japanese instead of actually learning Japanese).

Knowing that there is no "wrong" way to study a language, I'm interested in any comments on the path I have outlined below that I'm currently planning to take; i.e. suggestions for better ways...

1a Learn the joyo kanji with Heisig's book, this site and mnemonics from kanjidamage
1b Concurrently reading Tae Kim's grammar guide
1c Listen to a Pimsleur lesson a day

2a Mine sentences from various sources
2b Use Italian as base language when studying the sentences
2c Study with SRS app. Smart.fm/anki/mental case

I've sort of tried to combine the best of several worlds and several sources at once to keep the interest high. I personally enjoy the Pimsleur lessons, so they're sort of part of my immersion environment. I can't stand listening to hours of material I don't understand at all, though. IMHO it kills the joy of learning a language (joy being to realize that you do understand a little, but never *nothing*). I'm digressing.

My Italian isn't that stable, but I pick it up rapidly and saw this as a good opportunity to drive my proficiency in Italian up a couple of notches. Do you think that using a language you're not completely fluent in as base language will slow thing's down a lot? My thought was that the effort and time put into working with each of the sentences would only reinforce memory and be of help (will be using Japanese-Italian dictionary of course).

Sorry for long post!

Any showstoppers? Don't do this, don't do that?

Jodles

The first thing is always the caveat: Your mileage may vary! What works for you works, even if it doesn't work for others. That is truly the only measure that is significant.

So, for me, this wouldn't work. Schultz's KD has too much information hitting at the same time. Kanji, keyword, radicals, stroke count, on- and kun-yomi, example jukugo, usefulness ratings, cautions and tips. Aside from the keyword, mnemonic and tags, it's almost the same as that old traditional method, that I tried for so many years before RTK pointed out the divide and conquer idea of mimicking a Chinese learner of Japanese, where I have a very similar character in my language, and I know how to write it, and now I only have to learn how this character is used differently in Japanese. Any similarity between my language and Japanese is a plus, but not a given. OK, so it adds more information to the traditional method, while supporting the keyword and mnemonic of RTK. So, for me, TMI all trying to remember all of that in one go. YMMV.

Also, Schultz seems to be a bit of a potty-mouth, and that puts me off a bit. YMMV.

Do not try to memorize everything KD gives you. Writing first and maybe 音読み at the same time. Save the example vocabulary for later.

The one thing I see missing is native media that you watch/read/listen to without feeling you have to mine it. Fun exposure is important, too.

Unfortunately, I think that means you have to start with less understanding than you're comfortable with. Maybe if you start with a TV show you're already familiar with? Or a kids' show. Or both: a kids' show you're familiar with?

Sorry. No easy answer there.

Thank you both! I've been thinking since I posted this yesterday and figured out that I have to do one thing at a time, and then adjust according to the results and what I need. Try stuff out, see if it works for me.

CharleyGarrett Wrote:The first thing is always the caveat: Your mileage may vary! What works for you works, even if it doesn't work for others. That is truly the only measure that is significant.

This is actually what has led me to drop the kanjidamage mnemonics for now. I've realized that I'm learning the kanji with Heisig's method so quickly that I'll stick with that for now and not complicate things further.

wildweathel Wrote:The one thing I see missing is native media that you watch/read/listen to without feeling you have to mine it. Fun exposure is important, too.

I agree, I should have something here. I'll try to find something that interests me and can keep me interesting (Japanese game-shows are fun, but .. yeah:p). I should google this a little, but do you know of any Japanese websites or other media that deals with classical music?